Laure and Quarup

We decided to skip the crowds of people at the malls on Black Friday and got in the Christmas spirit by chopping down our own tree. The coastal mountains just south of San Francisco are dotted with beautiful tree farms, where (for a fee) one can chop down their own tree.

A overwhelming choice of Christmas trees.

We decided to visit Skyline Ranch Tree Farm because it is one of the few organic farms. As we entered the property, we were given a bow saw and instructions on how to cut down a tree in a manner that would allow a new tree to easily grow in the former tree's place. It took us a while to find the perfect tree for our cozy apartment. Once we located it, Quarup got right to work.

There's a first for everything.

Timber

Can't get any fresher of a tree than this.

Deciding between a plastic Christmas tree and a real tree was an easy choice for us. We are not allergic to trees, we love the smell, we like supporting local family owned farms and encouraging the preservation of local agricultural land. Laure was especially excited to find an organic tree farm since she's become weary of the chemicals in products she brings into the apartment. We’ve also forgone the fake garlands and settled on the unruly real stuff made from tree clippings. Our place smells amazing.


SF has an amazing curbside composting program that expands for a while after the holiday season. For a few weeks in January the city will pick up real Christmas trees and properly compost them. The byproducts go back to local farms and are even used at the wineries in Napa and Sonoma.

Cheers!